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Steven Van Zandt
Steven Van Zandt (b. November 22, 1950) is an American musician, songwriter, arranger, record producer, radio disc jockey and actor, who frequently goes by the stage names Little Steven or Miami Steve. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin. He has also acted in television dramas such as The Sopranos (1999–2007) and Lilyhammer (2012–2014). Van Zandt also had his own solo band called Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul in the 1980s. In 2014, Van Zandt was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band. Early years Steven Van Zandt was born on November 22, 1950 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was born with the name Steven Lento and is of South Italian descent. His grandfather was from Calabria and his grandmother's parents were Neapolitans. He lived at 16 Edgecliff Road in Watertown, Massachusetts."Stevie Van Zandt on Twitter". Twitter. Twitter, Inc., 19 Jul. 2016. Web. 10 Mar. 2017. His mother, Mary Lento, remarried in 1957 and Steven took the last name of his stepfather, William Brewster Van Zandt. The family moved to Middletown Township, New Jersey, when he was seven. Steven Van Zandt found his love for music at an early age, when he learned how to play the guitar. He watched the performances of the Beatles and Rolling Stones on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 and referred to the former as "The Big Bang of Rock n' Roll"."Show 775 - The Big Bang". Little Steven's Underground Garage. Underground Garage, 2015. Web. 10 Mar. 2017."1949-1964". Brucebase. Brucebase, 9 Oct. 2016. Web. 10 Mar. 2017. He said that when he was 13, George Harrison was his favorite Beatle, but he is now friends with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr."Steven Van Zandt: 25 Things You Don't Know About Me". Us Weekly. Us Weekly, 15 Dec. 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2017. In 1964, Steven formed his first band, The Whirlwinds, which was short lived. He would later form the Mates in 1965 and join the Shadows in May 1966."1964-06-13 - 68 South Street, Freehold, NJ". Brucebase. Brucebase, 9 Oct. 2016. Web. 11 Mar. 2017. Van Zandt would later cite the Dave Clark Five, Ravi Shankar, and the culture of India as early influences."The Dave Clark Five And Beyond". Great Performances. PBS, 8 Apr. 2014. Web. 11 Mar. 2017."Ravi Shankar influenced me musically: Steven Van Zandt". Deccan Herald. The Printers (Mysore) Private, Ltd., 19 Dec. 2015. Web. 11 Mar. 2017. Steven Van Zandt attended Middletown Township High School,"Stevie Van Zandt on Twitter". Twitter. Twitter, Inc., 19 Jul. 2016. Web. 11 Mar. 2017. where he got kicked out for having long hair. He went back to school to make his mother happy and graduated in 1968."1965-07-00 - Clearwater Pool, Middletown, NJ". Brucebase. Brucebase, 10 Mar. 2017. Web. 11 Mar. 2017. Actor/playwright/producer Billy Van Zandt is Steven's half-brother, making famous actress Adrienne Barbeau his sister-in-law. Steven also has a half-sister named Kathi who is a writer. Career Bruce Springsteen met Steven Van Zandt for the first time in 1966 when Springsteen went to the Hullabaloo club in Middletown.Springsteen, Bruce. Born to Run. Simon & Schuster, 2016. Van Zandt was in early pre-E Street bands with Springsteen, such as Steel Mill and the Bruce Springsteen Band. During the early 1970s, he worked in road construction for 2 years, before returning to show business."HTVOD Little Steven Visits the Howard Stern Show & Promotes Lilyhammer 1/31/12". Howard Stern Show. YouTube, 31 Jan. 2012. Web. 17 Mar. 2017.Remnick, David. "We Are Alive". The New Yorker. Conde Nast, 30 Jul. 2012. Web. 17 Mar. 2017. In 1973, he toured with The Dovells. The tour ended in Miami during Dick Clark's New Year's Show at the Deauville Hotel. After going back to Jersey, Steven continued to wear Hawaiian shirts because he did not like winter, which was how he got the nickname "Miami Steve".Greene, Andy. "Darlene Love on New Solo LP and Working with Springsteen, Steve Van Zandt". Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2015. Web. 11 Mar. 2017."FULL INTERVIEW: Steven Van Zandt". Strombo. YouTube, 1 Mar. 2012. Web. 11 Mar. 2017. He co-founded Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, in addition to The Miami HornsStern, Kimberly Winter. "Trumpet Soul Man". 435 Magazine. Godengo, Sept. 2010. Web. 17 Mar. 2017., who got their name from Steven's nickname. Van Zandt helped establish the rhythm and blues oriented style of music that the band performed. He also produced Southside's first three albums. Overall, Van Zandt wrote a significant bulk of Southside's music which helped provide them with the success that they achieved."Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes". Little Steven Online. Little Steven Online, 2000. Web. 11 Mar. 2017. Van Zandt then started to switch off between writing for Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes and touring with the E Street Band. He confirmed in an interview on the Howard Stern Show that he arranged the horns on "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" in 1975 when Springsteen was at a loss, earning him a spot in the E Street Band shortly thereafter. References Category:American people of Italian descent Category:The E Street Band members